Defy Gravity
by khanda
Summary: The clip after Stella shared a kiss with Reed and before they ended in front of the elevator. English is not my mother tongue, so some typos and grammar mistakes are inevitable. Thanks for tolerating! I don't own any of these characters.


"He knows who I am, I dare say he knows who you are"

"So what?"

Reed looks at Stella, with the mixed taste of margarita and Stella's lip balm still in her mouth. Stella's indifference impresses her. She REALLY doesn't care, Reed thinks. She doesn't care if her name will end up in the newspaper headline tomorrow, again. Nor she gives a damn about the considerable chance that the headline will be more absurd than the last time, which, probably will lead upset Jimmy stormed into Stella's office, again. It's the newspaper that leaded Reed to question Stella,and then brought them here, for Reed to apologize for her intrusion，and surprisingly, brought their lips together. Basically, the fucking Newspaper is the origin of the whole universe. The thought amuses Reed, she holds up the margarita and sips in with a smile.

"Do you want to go upstairs?" Stella asks.

"What?" Reed couldn't restrain her surprise.

"I am asking you to join me to go upstairs, to my margaritas taste really boring anyway. We can finish what we've already started."

Oh my God! I am not Gay for god sake! The instinct answer echoes in Reed's chest. However, with Stella's hand still resting comfortably behind her, Stella's perfume only inches away, Stella's eyes boldly moving from Reed's eyebrows, to her eyes, her nose, and then stop on her lips, where has experienced the gentlest massage just minutes ago, Reed feel herself now living in Stella's galaxy, tamed by all her universal laws, feeling her gravity pulling any of those words from coming up. Reed can't refuse yet, not now, with her remembrance of Stella's lips is still fresh.

"So, a one night stand" Playing dumb seems the best, if not the last, option to defy the gravity.

"Yes. only if you agree to, of course." Reed still can't read Stella's face.

"Do you do this a lot?" Reed smiles, trying hard to make her voice sounds as natural as possible.

Stella's face clouded a little bit. "oh sorry, I didn't mean to remind you of that tragic incident" Reed instantly spots the change and apologizes.

"It's not a habit, you know. It's just easier this way. Long hours of stressful work is hardly ideal to cultivate close relationships. Frankly, sometimes I'd rather be alone after work. But when some emotional and physical needs emerge, that can only met by interaction with people, I ask the one I find attracted to. And most of the time, they would say yes. That's all." Stella pauses, thinks of something. "I mean, every time, till now."

Stella stressed on the last word and looked into Reed's eyes steadily. Unexpectedly , she finds Reed doesn't flinch, at all. Like moments ago when she kissed her, Reed responded so well, well enough to convince the man to leave, well enough to make Stella wants to play the next move, it's always pleasant to find a good chess opponent.

"So it's rather a choice of convenient, right? Dealing dead bodies for a living,I know all you said about long hours of work. You can't tell when the bodies will come, and mostly they come in at night, some of which were brutally murdered women. When I came home after this situation, I would use any reason to avoid "wife obligation"" Reed puts an air quote with her fingers. " and eventually, I ran out of reasons."

"you got divorced? you never said that"

"You never seldom ask people personal questions, Stella. I guess it's your another choice of convenient? By not asking people their lives, you avoid being asked about that mutual disclosure is where the "inconvenient" relationship mostly starts. You are really on a mission of staying mystery, Stella."

"Then you must have a crystal ball hidden in your pocket or somewhere. My "mysterious cloak" is obviously transparent to you now." Stella puts an air quote too.

It's a imitation to Reed's previous gesture, Reed can tell. It's SO not Stella. Perhaps it's even the first time Stella has ever done this. The raw cuteness about that gesture almost makes Reed burst into laughter.

"I'm terribly sorry. Going through devoice is the hardest, especially when your children are still young. I'm glad your little girls have you being their wonderful mom. I bet they barely noticed a thing, not like the sufferings I went through."

Reed has millions of questions at the second. It's the first time she hears Stella talks about her family! Instinctively, She holds up her margarita to help her think. And she finds her margarita is finished two sips ago. That's it. She thinks. She drinks the margarita too quickly, now she has no more shield to cover her anxiety. It's time to politely thank her for a good night and leave. The whole night was crazy enough, for a girl brought up in a small town. She looks at Stella, who didn't move a bit since the man left. they are basically in each other's arms. And Reed's find Stella closer than ever, she can even see the little Stella looks her back from those normally calm green eyes, so insecure, longing for companionship.

When Reed realizes her stare at stella lasts too long, she abashedly draws her eyes down. She moves her hand away from the empty margarita, blindly searching for her purse, like a drowning man in a ocean searching for a straw. She needs another shield, she needs the strength to leave, before that green lake of stella's eyes floods over her completely. What her reaches, is Stella's hand. Cold as the margarita glass. Reed stuns, and feels Stella shivers a little and then slowly turns over her hand and squeezed Reed's,with their palms kiss each other, reading each other's fate lines in the dark. Stella is still not saying a word, but her blond hair, her watery eyes, her thin lips are all conveying a message through her hand: she doesn't want Reed to leave. Reed's still in the galaxy of Stella's, spinning ,floating, and this time, She realizes the gravity is mutual.

Stella silently waits, while the pianist in the lobby finished the song with a perfect C note.

Finally Reed asks: "Do you want to go upstairs?"


End file.
